Mayor, city manager unabashed fear-mongers

Mayor, city manager unabashed fear-mongers

For the past several years, the honorable fire and police forces have been used as political fodder. "The budget is in the red, so cut fire and police!" It's apparently the "go to" plan in their political playbook. Somehow, City Manager Milton Dohoney and Mayor Mark Mallory assume Cincinnatians will continue to take them seriously. These public servants make an embarrassing amount of money, yet constantly threaten police and fire despite the huge cutbacks these departments have already made through attrition. These guys are unabashed fear-mongers going after the jugular. They threaten our safety for their own gain.

Katie Smith, Anderson Township

A no-brainer: Trolleys instead of streetcars

A recent weekend trip for a concert in Louisville erased any lingering doubts I might have had about whether we need a streetcar here in Cincinnati, especially one that covers the abbreviated projected route on the table.

We stayed at a downtown hotel and hopped a free trolley bus that took us all around the city - to the antique store/gallery/restaurant district on the east side, the museum district, the riverfront and their mid-town entertainment district. Jumping on and off made seeing the city and reaching its restaurants and venues effortless.

We don't need a streetcar that will demolish our finances when a few trolleys can go more places for much less money, and offer the added advantage of flexibility according to city events. Routes could be changed according to what's going on around the city while still covering the Zoo, Union Terminal, the museums, parks, OTR and The Banks.

Going with trolleys is a no-brainer; no costly underground work and the ability to change when the need arises. It's time for us to give up on the streetcar. Perhaps supporters should go south to see what trolley lines would be like.

Joy W. Kraft, Mount Lookout

Internet sales tax must be looked at before we leap

I understand the perk to the states of collecting sales tax on online purchases, but the example of the tire dealership left me with questions ("Ohio retailers push Net sales tax" April 3). Did those customers who "shopped" his stores go online because of the sales tax or for better prices? If they ship tires to their home, the shipping charges must be quite large, as they based on weight. There is also the matter of having the tires installed, for which there must be a charge unless they do it themselves. The sales tax would not offset these costs, as a rule.

Also, companies like Macy's and Wal-Mart already have national offices for paying taxes to individual states and counties.

For small businesses, this becomes an accounting nightmare. We have friends who own a small business with two stores that just started offering their products online. To keep track of the tax rates in the various states to which they might ship, let alone the individual county sales taxes, and then filing the returns for those sales could require hiring another full-time employee. For them, this is not feasible at this time. Yet, if they want to continue to increase their sales with the Internet, they will be obligated to do just that. The sales they would lose if they discontinue their online business will adversely affect their profits.

Is this just another way for big businesses to drive out the small-business competition? Will the collection and enforcement of these taxes just increase the bureaucracy we already have at the state level? What is the actual amount that would be added to the state's coffers after the expenses for collection are applied? All of this needs to be looked at before we leap to the conclusion that this is a good move.

Carlene Stephens, West Chester Township

Kentucky's library tax benefits the public good

What a phenomenal and totally complete bunch of nincompoops, suing to take away something from which the entire public benefits - namely public libraries ("Library tax ruling chops rate, may have Kentucky-side impact" April 3).

What shared item in the public good that benefits everyone do you want to try to take away next:

Traffic lights?

How about sewer systems?

Make us all start using outhouses again?

The outhouse is where this particular idea needs to be deposited.

Do you need to know the definition of nincompoop?

Call the public library.

Greg Bryant, Villa Hills

Library is the means to the American Dream

The library was created as a way to level the educational playing field.

It was created as a way for people with fewer opportunities in life to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and make something of themselves.

The library is the means to the American Dream.

Don't take that away from us.

So many of the dreams of our children have already been crushed by things like poverty, homelessness, slashes to educational funding and an overarching sense that the future is no longer bright.

Most children foresee a future more akin to the Hunger Games than they do to Jules Vern. Most children don't have dreams.

The library is the birthplace of dreams.

Don't steal our dreams.

Vanessa Seeger, Independence■

ADVERTISEMENT

Most Popular

Most Commented

More Headlines

Most Viewed

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Email this article

Mayor, city manager unabashed fear-mongers

For the past several years, the honorable fire and police forces have been used as political fodder. 'The budget is in the red, so cut fire and police!' It's apparently the 'go to' plan in their